Friday, June 22, 2012

Solving the
mystery of what the ancient Egyptian goddess of wisdom was all about brings to
light the true nature of the world’s favorite forbidden flower

I am not an Egyptologist, but I
played one as a boy in the late 60s.Attracted
by the art, the mythology and the unsolved mysteries, I spent enough time in
the Egyptian collection at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to recognize when objects
were moved around or rotated off the floor.One unsolved mystery is the meaning of the emblem symbolizing Seshat, the
sexy and mysterious goddess of wisdom, writing and measurement.

I never paid the question much
mind as a kid, but recently I stumbled on an image of a Seshat carving sporting
what looked like a 5-point cannabis sun leaf; Northern Lights to be exact.My work with legal cannabis patients and care
growers in New England gives me access to such leaves, so I scanned a few and
chose point counts to correspond with Seshat emblem silhouettes I made from
online photos (see below).

The notion that Seshat is the
patron goddess of cannabis is not so far-fetched.Her symbol is among the oldest hieroglyphs,
and although cannabis is not native to North Africa, it would have grown well
there—and been available through trade routes.Indications for use of cannabis and instructions for preparation are in
some of the oldest medical texts in existence.[i]

Temple walls depict festive royal
spirituals featuring beer, wine, psychoactive concoctions[ii],
ceremonial sacrifices, and exotic dancers including the Seshat priestess
herself—turning heads in a dazzling leopard-skin number favored by funerary
priests.Lotus buds soaked in wine produced
a spiritual effect of such importance that much of their art and architecture was
devoted to the flower.

No temples to Seshat have ever
been found, and the psychoactive use of cannabis in ancient Egypt is thought to
be less well documented—or maybe the truth is all over the walls and we just
can’t see it through the haze of drug war propaganda.

Prohibition did not start with the
banning of cannabis in the 1930s.It
began many centuries earlier with religious edicts that forbid—on pain of
death—the use of psychoactive plants as spiritual sacraments.The industrial revolution went even further by
creating a propaganda campaign that turned the world against natural medicines,
and by outlawing plants that could deliver euphoric and/or spiritual sensations.

That’s where Seshat comes
in.We know the ancient Egyptians were
intelligent, spiritual, and as a culture, very successful (For the United
States to be half as long-lived, our
Constitution would have had to date back to the mid-700s AD).If cannabis was revered in those ancient
times the way it is today (mostly in the shadows by people you’d never think…) that’s
one more body slam against the crumbling walls of prohibition.

Establishing the
Proof

Here are six Seshat emblems from their
golden age; The New Kingdom (c.1550-c.1069)[1]

Artistic interpretations and
dynastic variations are an excellent measure for eliminating popular
guesses.For example, if the top piece
looks like a bow at Luxor and like horns at Karnak, it probably isn't
representating either one; the explanation must work across all variations. (Condition 1)

Since the two parts of the emblem
never appear separately, the explanation must describe how the images work
together to symbolize one concept.(Condition 2)

Seshat was the deification of
wisdom; the goddess of writing, astronomy, architecture, and mathematics.She was an exotic dancer with spirit-realm
connections.In the Coffin Texts, a
collection of funerary spells written beginning in the First Intermediate
Period (c.2181-c.2055), spell 10 states:Seshat opens the door of heaven
for you. [iii] The
explanation for the symbol must reflect the whole of Seshat’s complex character.
(Condition 3)

The human embodiment of the
goddess was a royal priestess—a smart, creative and powerful top advisor to the
king; the keeper of records and chief architect responsible for laying down
measurements for royal projects.The
explanation must plausibly reflect the life and duties of an actual Seshat
priestess. (Condition 4)

First
Inquiry:What is that star-shaped thing?

It’s not a star because the base
of the emblem is often not star-shaped at all.Same for palm leaves.As for papyrus,
that is the least likely candidate since the hieroglyph for that sacred plant is
everywhere and it looks nothing like the Seshat symbol.

Cannabis hemp leaves have been
called a match, but that food and fiber cultivar cannot begin to capture the
full color spectrum of this goddess and her earth-bound representative.

Cannabis leaves vary greatly
between strains, but point counts of 5, 7 and 9 are common.Here are three representatives collected at
legal grows in New England.[3]

Although the emblem renderings above
differ widely in shape and artistic style, cannabis is a perfect match for
every image in the set.This satisfies the
first condition of the proof.

Second inquiry:How does the cannabis leaf work with the
image above?

Unlike the leaf, the upper shape
is portrayed in a variety of ways.In the
hieroglyph and in the emblem from the Red Chapel of Queen Hatshepsut (B) the
top piece appears to be flowing down and around the leaf.When the top is closed, either with a point
(A & F) or a cap (C), the image still seems to be coming down from above,
like a falling veil.

Given that the message must be
evident in all cases, this wide range of interpretations suggests that the image
on top is symbolic rather than physical.It also suggests that the answer lies in what the designs have in
common.

In every carving the upper shape
flows down from above and around an image that always looks like a cannabis
leaf.That leaf always rises straight from
the crown of Seshat’s head, and always stands at attention under the veil.

The leaf is cannabis, and the
veil is the wisdom it bestows.Taken together
the two images represent the source of Seshat’s creative ideas, cosmic
intuition and spiritual connection.This
satisfies the second condition.

Third
inquiry: Does this explanation reflect the whole of the Seshat mythology?

This might be a hard pill to
swallow for nations of people raised to just say no, but nothing about this smart,
colorful and spirited multi-tasker is inconsistent with cannabis use.

This ancient truth is reflected
in the lives of creative thinkers and people of action like Steve Jobs, John
Lennon, and in the words of the late astronomer, mathematician, philosopher and
novelist Carl Sagan.Writing anonymously
as Mr. X in the groundbreaking 1969 book Marijuana
Reconsidered, Sagan described cannabis as a spiritual conduit for ideas and
creative expression:

"I do not consider myself a
religious person in the usual sense, but there is a religious aspect to some
highs. The heightened sensitivity in all areas gives me a feeling of communion
with my surroundings, both animate and inanimate…Many but not all my cannabis
trips have somewhere in them a symbolism significant to me…a kind of mandala
embossed on the high. Free-associating to this mandala, both visually and as
plays on words, has produced a very rich array of insights.”[iv]

People who use cannabis to spark
insights and creativity (artists, professionals, clergy, teachers…mostly all in
hiding) would agree that the whole of Seshat—the writer, the spiritualist, the dirty
dancer, as well as the no-nonsense nail-the-numbers professional getting baked
on the job—are all well within the lifestyles and possibilities of people who
use cannabis.This satisfies the third
condition.

Final
inquiry: Does this explanation relate to real life in ancient Egypt?

Yes.Cannabis was known as medicine and would have
been available to people with resources and trade connections.The famously fertile delta would have
supported local cultivation, and the variety of point configurations in the
drawings supports the notion of favored strains.The notion of a private palace home grow is also
consistent with the mythology; Seshat was known as a secretive goddess who
preferred the company of royals.[v]This satisfies the final condition.

Why
this matters

This is more than an academic
exercise.Cannabis prohibition is a war
of words and images, and until quite recently our government was in total control.History will record the irony; the very
communication system that was being used to broadcast lies about this so-called
recreational drug was suddenly the means by which the people could learn and
share the truth about what cannabis really is.

As we head into this new century,
few things represent the future better than cannabis, an ancient plant that can
deliver food, fiber, fuel, medicine, inspiration, and an occasional laugh.Seshat reminds us that sometimes the best way
forward is to look back and learn from the wise ones who came before.

Carl
Hedberg is a writer, speaker and medicinal use explorer in Colorado working with filmmakers to bring the truth about cannabis to the big screen.(see http://www.dailycamera.com/guest-opinions/ci_25298250/lights-camera-cannabis )

From the lecture; Cannabis Rising: Truth and healing on the
front lines of the battle to restore our right to choose.Twitter @cannabisrising

[v] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seshat's_emblem
(Note that the word "sesheta" means hidden things, mysteries,
secrets, and through Seshat the Pharaoh was given access to the power of those
mysteries).

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Ray Bradbury's great novelFahrenheit 451 describes a hyper-controlling,
fear-driven militaristic society hooked on pills and living vicariously through
the lives of imaginary characters on big screens.Substitute cannabis for books and it’s 2014 America in the waning years of prohibition.

Like Bradbury's book lovers, cannabis patients living under prohibition are fundamentally law-abiding citizens driven to secrecy by oppressive laws and social contracts that have neighbors watching neighbors for signs of moral decay.

The Tyranny
of Prohibition

Washington has long operated on the assumption that what is good for big
business will ultimately be good for the nation; jobs, revenue, growth,
captive markets, and lots of consumer spending.To make that work for big healthcare, they took away our right to grow our own medicine and created a farcical schedule of forbidden plants; don't even look.

At the heart of this global scheme to control for
profit what we use for medicine is a deep-rooted propaganda campaign that has
installed the societal impression that cannabis is a fringe issue; just pot, a smoked substance for slackers that crafty stoners are
calling medicine in an effort to free up their favorite party drug.

To keep the truth at bay and everyone in line, many doctors
are forbidden by their insurance carriers to discuss cannabis options with
their patients, and some willingly disavow their Hippocratic oath by refusing
to treat patients who confess to using the banned flower for medicine. For proper New England Yankees, using weed is a fine practice for prep school and college, but if
you’re a fifty-something professional with teens in the house, you’re probably tokin’ in the closet.

Cannabis the
Exit Drug

The first generation of school children to go through
the DARE program are now in college.Given
the popularity of the book Marijuana is
Safer, and the proliferation of Students
for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) chapters around the world, it’s clear that younger generations are finally deciding to think for themselves—and fight for the right to add
cannabis to the party mix.

Let’s be honest; consuming alcoholic beverages can be
a fun way to celebrate, but let’s also cut the crap.Alcohol kills; cannabis doesn’t.Cannabis isn’t physically addictive; alcohol
can be.Cannabis-infused gatherings are
famously peaceful, while alcohol-fueled celebrations are notoriously unstable.In 2009 researchers at the School of Social Welfare,
University of California, Berkeley found that “medical cannabis patients have
been engaging in substitution by using cannabis as an alternative to alcohol,
prescription and illicit drugs [www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/6/1/35]

In late 2011, Maia Szalavitz reported for Time
Magazine that “states that legalize medical marijuana see fewer fatal car
accidents, in part because people may be substituting marijuana smoking for
drinking alcohol.” [http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/why-medical-marijuana-laws-reduce-traffic-deaths]

These findings are hopeful news for heavy drinkers and
the people trying to help them—but many will first need to shake the notion
that the only cure for alcoholism is sobriety.Here’s an example from a prohibition state on the east coast:

An elderly
Purple Heart veteran is dying of cancer; cared for by his daughter and her
husband—in a cramped two-bedroom apartment.For too long her old man has been dealing with his pain with a volatile
mix of prescribed meds and Stoli shots, which he loudly raves for all day long.

The
weary couple can usually hold him to four or five, but every night he’s bitter,
loud, and abusive.Three months before
her father dies, his daughter begins coloring his Stoli shots with a solid dose
of alcohol-based cannabis tincture she found at a local freedom festival.

The
change is miraculous.The old guy is
suddenly talkative, relaxed, and down to three shots a day.In those final weeks he took a renewed
interest in watching his favorite old war movie s.He got some rest, and died in his sleep.

Truth, Healing
and Enterprise

With no danger of a lethal overdose or physical
addiction, cannabis is well-suited to personal exploration, including strains,
edibles, raw juice, extracts, salves; whatever works.Seeds, clones, home remedies and care
strategies are being shared, sold and bartered through a cautious and
well-hidden community of growers, patients, healers, and practitioners.Weekend freedom festivals are the market
square of the movement; a place to connect, toke, brag, haggle and sample
kitchen creations made from flowers lovingly grown in private.

The cannabis frontier, which Washington is
simultaneously attempting to deny and crush, are nevertheless delivering jobs
and opportunity to recession-weary carpenters, electricians, plumbers, practitioners,
care growers, vendors, inventors, publishers, promoters, educators, online
enterprisers…and a few are already making a very good living in the cannabis trades.

Well aware that legalization is inevitable now that the truth can be found online, industrialists who have long benefited from prohibition are no doubt horrified to see how healthcare customer counts fall wherever cannabis freedom is restored. In Colorado, forty percent of the weed produced in the state is grown in private; not packaged, not regulated, not taxed. Ancient, non-toxic medicine freely produced at home and in private. What a concept.